Rent The Ghost (2010)
3.3 of 5 from 677 ratings
2h 3min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Following the tragic death of his ghost writer, British ex-prime minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) hires a journalist (Ewan McGregor) to complete his memoirs. No sooner has he arrived at the Lang's isolated island retreat to begin the job, when scandal arises, and a huge political storm breaks. With reporters and protesters swarming to the Martha's vineyard mansion where Lang is staying with his wife Ruth (Olivia Williams) and his media-handler turned mistress Amelia (Kim Cattrall), the ghost is trapped within the confines of the estate and is quickly drawn into the political and sexual affairs at play there. More troubling still, as the ghost researches his subject begins to uncover clues suggesting his predecessor had stumbled on a dark secret in Adam Lang's past. Suddenly, it begins to seem likely that his untimely death might not have been an accident after all… - Actors:
- Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Jon Bernthal, Tim Preece, Jim Belushi, Timothy Hutton, Anna Botting, Yvonne Tomlinson, Milton Welsh, Alister Mazzotti, Tim Faraday, Kim Cattrall, Kate Copeland, Soogi Kang, Lee Hong Thay, John Keogh, Hans-Peter Sussner, Stuart Austen, Marianne Graffam
- Directors:
- Roman Polanski
- Producers:
- Robert Benmussa, Roman Polanski, Alain Sarde
- Writers:
- Robert Harris, Roman Polanski
- Others:
- Roman Polanski
- Aka:
- The Ghost Writer
- Studio:
- Optimum
- Genres:
- Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- 2011, All You Need to Know About Dump Month Movies, CinemaParadiso.co.uk Through Time, Drama Films & TV, Fictional British Prime Ministers On Screen, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Ewan Mcgregor, New waves of Polish Cinema, People of the Pictures, Remembering Tom Wilkinson, A Brief History of Film..., What to watch by country
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 20/09/2010
- Run Time:
- 128 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- Bonus:
- The cast of the ghost featurette
- The ghost: Fiction or reality featurette
- World premiere in Berlin
- Interviews with Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor, Olivial Williams, Robert Harris and Roman Polanski
- Press conference
- Trailers
- Photography
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Reviews (2) of The Ghost
Enjoyable, edgy thriller in the Hitchcock style - The Ghost review by LR
This is classic Hitchcock. An ordinary guy wanders into a far-from-ordinary situation, starts investigating some odd incidents and finds himself in over his head with some powerful, ruthless characters. The suspense is skilfully handled by Polanski and the obvious comparison with Tony Blair (ex-PM wants to write memoirs but needs to excise compromising episodes) gives the story some bite. The casting is spot-on and the moments of humour provide contrast and help to emphasise the menace of other scenes. Ewan McGregor makes a good everyman lead, with his mix of cocky charm and naive bravado. Pierce Brosnan is slick and vain, like a politician, but is also anxious and petulant when events slip from his control. An entertaining story with political edge. Well worth seeing.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Very average stuff - I was expecting better - The Ghost review by RP
I enjoy books by Robert Harris ('Fatherland', 'Enigma', 'Archangel', 'Pompeii' etc) most of which have also been made into films or TV dramas [Aside: 'Fatherland' was filmed by HBO Pictures and released on VHS video, with no DVD release, so a decent copy is tricky to get hold of. It also has a *very* altered ending. But I digress...]
Having read his book 'Ghost' about a ghost writer working on the political memoirs of ex British Prime Minister Adam Lang (reputedly based on Tony Blair) and who uncovers a dodgy secret from the past, I was interested in seeing the film version.
Frankly, I felt the book to be one of Mr Harris' weaker works - and that's my verdict on the film as well: it's weak. Although it has a strong, skilled director (Roman Polanski) and Robert Harris and Polanski co-wrote the script, my view is that the actors are wrong. Adam Lang is played by Pierce Brosnan, and while Polanski gets him to act a little rather than to just look pretty, he does not come across as a credible PM. Ewan McGregor plays the ghost writer - but he's a wooden actor, and doesn't really convince. The best acting is by Olivia Williams as Lang's wife, who is creepily convincing.
I was disappointed - it's really very average stuff, so I'll give it 3/5 stars. But I was expecting better...
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.